Today in Sex: For World AIDS Day, A Reminder of Some of the Greats We've Lost

Though AIDS doesn't make the news every night like it did back in its hellday, there are still over 33 million people living with it worldwide. One and a half million of them here in North America. We know how to prevent it (keep your fluids to yourself), yet ex-president George Bush writes an op-ed published in the Washington Post today about the state of AIDS and doesn't even mention condoms.

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And, as Amanda Hess points out, Bushie focused on strictly on the more "palatable" victims of the virus--mothers and children. When the Pope manages to make you look enlightened, you might want to crack your mind open a bit.

Today, for World AIDS Day, I thought we could take a moment and remember some of the brilliant minds we've lost to the disease. Most of the people we've lost didn't leave legacies on YouTube or even Facebook, but here are some of the folks who did.

Arthur Russell was the most influential cellist/composer/musician/producer you've probably never heard of. Hopefully the release of a documentary and at least one book will change all that.

Everyone's heard of Robert Mapplethorpe, but if you want to feel like you know Robert Mapplethorpe, pick up Patti Smith's riveting memoir of their relationship, Just Kids.

The sports world has also been affected by AIDS. Magic Johnson shows us how effective the right drugs can be (for those lucky enough to afford them), but unfortunately they came too late for tennis great, Arthur Ashe, who passed away in the early 90s.

There are so many more, I could keep going all day--the fabulous Leigh Bowery, sadly closeted Rock Hudson, evil Roy Cohn (hey, not everyone who died of AIDS was worthy of tears), artist Keith Haring, and millions of others nobody's ever heard of.